Brief Identification[]
This small statuette is a product of the Hittite civilization in the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries. The location and means by which it was discovered are unclear, as there are no official records of ownership until it was acquired by renowned collector Norbert Schimmel and subsequently loaned to the Met for display [see Waxman 2008 and Rosenbaum 2012]. The gold statuette depicts the Hittite sun-goddess of Arinna (or Wurusemu) sitting on a seat with lions paws and a child on her lap. While the exact purpose of this statuette is unclear, it may have been kept in one of the many Hittite temples with other images and symbols of the divine [see Johnston 2007, 191]. It is also possible it was meant to be worn as a pendant or necklace, given the presence of a "suspension loop...soldered to the back." [see Metropolitan Museum of Art 1992, 9]
Technical Evaluation[]
This artifact was created using the lost-wax process. First appearing around the third millennium BCE, this process involves using a wax "negative mold" and another heat-resistant outer mold resulting in the molten metal replacing the wax [see Britannica 2014]. The goddess was molded separate from the child in her lap, which was attached after both were formed. The earrings, necklace, and the "circlets at the shoulders" were also soldered onto the goddess' body post molding [see Metropolitan 1992, 9]. The Anatolian region in which the Hittites occupied provided the raw materials (i.e. gold) needed to create such an artifact. The Hittites took full advantage mining for precious metals both for their own consumption and for export [see Bryce 2002, 87].
How this artifact found its way into the Met's display cases, however, remains somewhat convoluted. Short of accessing the internal records of either the Met or the Norbert Schimmel Trust, it is simply a matter of speculation. The few facts that are known, however, is that the artifact was found in modern day Turkey, was removed from the country and procured by Norbert Schimmel, and subsequently put on loan with the Met. According to Rosenbaum, the acquisition and removal of the artifact in Turkey was at the very least quite shady if not illegal and has caused a rift between Turkish officials and several museums throughout the world [see Rosenbaum 2012].
Local Historical Context[]
No matter if this statuette was kept in a temple or worn around the neck of Queen Nikkalmati, one thing that is clear is that the sun-goddess of Arinna was regarded as the highest ranking female deity in the hierarchy of the Hittite pantheon [see Bryce 2002, 143]. While the argument could be made that Arinna did not command the same divine authority as her male counterpart (husband/"consort"), the storm-god of Hatti or Teshub, most sources put Arinna at the top of the food chain or at the very least co-equal [see Britannica-Teshub; Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2003, 88-89; McGrath, 71].
The Hittites "like all the peoples of the ancient Near East, perceived deities...to be involved in the most mundane aspects of existence, religion was...an integral part of daily life." [see Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2003, 84] As a result of this, they made sure to keep those gods and goddesses "upon which human survival most closely depended" [see Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2003, 88]. In addition to the storm-god of Hatti, who provided the rain necessary for crop production, the sun-goddess (Teshub's "cohort") was highly valued not only for her feminine attributes but for her control of the sun. The sun was considered to be "the Shepard of mankind," drawing from the existing Mesopotamian premise [see Bryce 2002, 141]. The sun-goddess Arinna was accordingly regarded as the "patron and protector of the Hittite state and monarchy" [see Bryce 2002, 143].
Unfortunately, most of the records which have been recovered and translated from cuneiform relate directly to the state cult and not the individual lives and practices of the everyday citizen of the Hittite kingdom [see Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2013, 86].
World Historical Significance[]
Perhaps more importantly than her standing among her fellow deities, was what the evolution and worship of the sun-goddess of Arinna represented. Firstly, the reigning deities, the storm-god of Hatti and the sun-goddess of Arinna, were directly represented on earth by the King and Queen of the Hittite kingdom who were also the high priest and priestess [see Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2013, 92; Monaghan 1981, 307]. This position "at the intersection of the divine sphere with that of humans," provided a higher level of authority and a barrier to the throne in the form of a "mandate of heaven" [see Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2013, 91]. Even more important than this, however, was the fact that the Hittites absorbed the deities of their conquered lands into their own pantheon [see Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2013, 88]. The sun-goddess of Arinna was essentially "merged" with her Hurrian counterpart Hebat [see Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2013, 89]. This was also done with not only the storm-god of Hatti, but with many other deities. The melting pot that was the Hittite kingdom brought influence from all over the Anatolian region, and was also influenced by the trade being conducted in the area [see Bryce, 87; Salzman, Sweeney, Adler 2013, 86]. This was a very smart move on the part of the Hittites, especially on the part of Queen Puduhepa [see Bryce 2002, 137]. It allowed for their conquests to retain a semblance of their own identity, while at the same time bringing them in to the Hittite culture and under the "protection" of the royal family and/or the high priest(ess).
Bibliography[]
Britannica, Encyclopaedia. “Lost-Wax Process | Metal Casting | Britannica.com.” Accessed November 15, 2016. https://www.britannica.com/technology/lost-wax-process.
“Teshub | Hurrian Deity | Britannica.com.” Accessed November 15, 2016. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Teshub.
Bryce, Trevor. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. http://proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=150012&site=eds-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_87.
Johnston, Sarah Iles, ed. Ancient Religions. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass., 2007.
“Lost-Wax Process.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014. http://proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89144292&site=eds-live.
McGrath, Sheena. The Sun Goddess : Myth, Legend, and History. Blandford ; London, 1997.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). “Ancient Art : Gifts from the Norbert Schimmel Collection,” 1992. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/28049906.html.
Monaghan, Patricia. The Book of Goddesses and Heroines /. 1st ed. Dutton: New York, c1981.
Rosenbaum, Lee. “Turkey’s Repatriation Claims: Met’s Schimmel Benefactions Targeted (plus AAMD Database).” CultureGrrl, March 21, 2012. http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2012/03/turkeys_repatriation_claims_me.html.
Salzman, Michele Renee, Marvin A. Sweeney, and William Adler, eds. The Cambridge History of Religions in the Ancient World /. Vol. v. 1. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge ;, 2013.
Waxman, Sharon. “Chasing the Lydian Hoard.” Smithsonian, November 14, 2008. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/chasing-the-lydian-hoard-93685665/.